"Get up Stormpaw!" a paw smacked him on the ear. Stormpaw jerked up and hissed. "Oh cry all you tick pelt! I have been trying to get you up all morning!"

"For what Hawkpaw!?" Stormpaw lay back down.

"Are you kidding me?! Iceshatter and Nightbreeze told us we were suppose to go hunting at dawn last night and it's almost sun-high for Starclan sake!" Hawkpaw lashed his tail.

"Alright i'm coming but I am not hunting with your naggy pelt all day, so I a hunting alone got it!" not waiting for a response Stormpaw barged his way out of the reed den and into the sunlit camp of Riverclan. He walked along the edge of the camp then through the entrance. He knew his mentor would be pleased if he came back with atleast three peices of freshkill.

Hawkpaw watched Stormpaw go "I wouldn't be going with him anyway because I already finished my hunting," Hawkpaw slumped down in his moss nest and began to clean his ruffled pelt when he noticed Ivorypaw walking in.

"Well you look happy Hawkpaw." Ivorypaw mumbled.

Hawkpaw bristled "I can't stand working with your brother! He thinks he is better then everyone!" Hawkpaw Shuffled in his cursing under his breath and covered his nose with his tail.

Ivorypaw gave a muffled laugh and stood up "That's because he doesn't like anyone but me, my mom and himself."

"Tell me something new" Hawkpaw grumbled at her. With that Ivorypaw crawled out of the reed den. She let the sun soak into her Ivory colored pelt. Ivorypaw sniffed the air breathing in the sweat scents of the river and fresh-kill. "Hey, Ivorypaw! Come over here!" She recognized the voice of hedgepaw and padded over to where he was sitting in sun bathed grass by the stream bed of reeds.

"What is it Hedgepaw?" She asked.

"Shrewfang wanted me to ask you to come on patrol with us and Mossclaw."

"That would fine with me but why isn't Fawnfoot coming?"

"I believe she has come down with a cold and can't stop coughing and Willowshine wants her to stay in camp."

Ivorypaw followed Hedgepaw to the Reed tunnel leading outside of camp. Once they were outside they waded across the stream and met up with Shrewfang and Mossclaw on the other side. The warriors nodded greetings to the apprentices. "Ivorypaw since Fawnfoot is not allowed out of camp at the moment Mistystar is having me take over your training till she gets better." Ivorypaw nodded. Shrewfang took the lead of the small patrol and trotted along the stream. The grass beneath her paws became muddy and to navigate and she grunted in protest as it stuck to her leg for but no one took notice of her. She looked over her shoulder and saw a mole scurrying to its hideaway. A cardinal with bright red feather cawed up ahead and Ivorypaw looked for it realizing she had fallen behind the others. Picking up her pace she pushed to catch up which took her several moments. Shrewfang called back to her and Hedgepaw "You two check for scents and tell us what you smell and where we are." Ivorypaw parted her mouth and breathed in the scents around her and tried to sort them out when Hedgepaw lift his tail "We are getting close to the outer border of our territory. We are closer to the Two-leg farm about an equal distance from both Shadowclan and Windclan." He announced proudly.

"Good Hedgepaw," Shrewfang praised his apprentice, "Ivorypaw do you smell anything?"

She narrowed her eyes as the smells began to sort out "Rain is on its way and by the feel of the wind it will be here soon. And I smell Stormpaw nearby a lingering scent of fresh-kill and….." she breathed in hard "I, I think there is blood near him. A rouge cats blood."

The rest of the patrol came to a stop and smelled the air around them. Mossclaw turned his head to Shrewfang "She's right and it's fresh."

Shrewfang stood there for a moment's time then looked back at the apprentices "We are going over to figure out what happened. I want you two to take up the rear keep watch for anything suspicious." The patrol padded along. As they inched on the grass began to thin out and become less muddy and softer. Ivorypaw sniffed the air and from what she could tell they were getting closer to her brother and blood scent become much stronger. I hope he is okay, she thought, but then why wouldn't he? She gazed up at the sky which slowly thickened with darkness and a light drizzle began to fall down on the patrol.

Shrewfang led them into a small clearing right on the border of Riverclan and the Two-leg farm. She heard herd a sharp gasp came from Mossclaw as he and Shrewfang reached the small stream that branched off of the main one. Ivorypaw raced up to them to see the problem the blood scent burning her nose now. As she came upon the stream blood stained the grass and a rusty orange tom laid half in the water and half out. His flank cut with four claw marks and his throat slit from one side to the other. His blue eyes were wide open and glazed and Ivorypaw recognized the look of terror in them. Shrewfang let out a growl and glared over at Ivorypaw "Where is your brother!"

Her neck fur bristled at his question which sounded as if he was accusing her of having something to do with the rouges death "How should I know!?" She shot at.

"Use your nose you flea-brain!"

"Excuse me!? Why are you yelling at her?" Stormpaw's voice came was calm and unnerved as he padded up to them and dropped fresh-kill on the grass.

Shrewfang walked in front of Stormpaw and lashed his tail "You! You did this!"

Stormpaw sat down on his haunches as if nothing was wrong "Yes I did." He answered calmly "I caught him stealing prey, when he saw me he attacked and threatened to kill me I had no choice."

Moss padded up beside Shrewfang resting his tail on the warriors shoulder to calm him down then looked at Stormpaw "You are old enough to know, Stormpaw, that you don't need to kill unless absolutely needed"

"His claws were to my throat that is need enough the way I look at it."Stormpaw licked his paw.

Mossclaw let out a sigh "Shrewfang take the apprentices and finish the patrol I will take Stormpaw back to camp. This is for Mistystar to decide."

"As it has always been. I don't even understand why she lets him stay in the clan he gets into enough trouble as it is."

Mossclaw lowered his voice "As much as I agree with you we can't be making snap judgments just because he is Hawkfrost's son." Mossclaw dismissed Shrewfang with the wave of his tail and began to lead Stormpaw away "Grab your prey" soon they disappeared into the reeds and trees.

"Alright before we finish this patrol we need to burry this cat's body. Leaving him to rot isn't right."

Ivorypaw and the rest of the patrol padded into camp as thunder ripped through the air. Shrewfang dismissed them and trotted to Mistystar's den where Mossclaw was waiting. Hedgepaw bumped her shoulder "Hey why don't you head for the apprentice's den I'll get us some prey."

Ivorypaw shook her head "I'm not hungry." She shook her rain soaked pelt and headed over to an overhanging rock where she could see the faint silhouette of her mother Rosethorn. She scooted in beside her and rested her head on her paws "Has Mistystar said anything about Stormpaw?"

Rosethorn shook her head "No but I won't go for holding back his warrior ceremony anymore it will be this half-moon whether she likes it or not. That Tick-pelt will make both of you warriors at the same time."

"I agree. But why isn't he listening to Thistleclaw and the others they told us we have lay low for a while"

"And that's exactly what we are doing. Your brother is smart enough to cover his tracks your father taught him that before he died. He just needed to blow off steam, he hasn't been able to since everything happened and he is angry at Bramblestar for what he did to Hawkfrost."

Ivorypaw watched as Stormpaw padded out of Mistystar's den receiving many glares. They're just mad because he looks like Hawkfrost, she thought, which he does and he looks amazing. "Well what did she say?" She asked.

"She isn't holding back my warrior ceremony but I'm not allowed out of camp without a warrior till then." He huffed and crawled in beside them "But I know Shrewfang will make sure Iceshatter holds me back but that won't happen."

"No it won't" Rosethorn stood up stalked over to Mistystar "I need to talk to you. Alone."